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This Instagram Model Got Real About Her IBS — and How She’s Managing It

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Photo Credit: Instagram /

Former “Australia’s Top Model” contestant Alyce Crawford spends
a lot of time in a bikini, for both work and play. But while the stunning Australian
model may be best known for her spectacular abs and beach-tossed hair, she
recently made news for another reason.

In 2013, Crawford began experiencing severe abdominal pain
and bloating that affected her mental health, social life, and ability to work.
She was diagnosed with irritable
bowel syndrome (IBS), a painful gastrointestinal condition that affects
of people around the globe.

IBS can cause symptoms like bloating and gas, cramping,
constipation, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Sometimes the condition lasts for
hours or days — sometimes for weeks.

Recently, Crawford shared an incredibly private — and eye-opening
— post with her 20,000- followers on Instagram. The powerful
before-and-after images show the real-life impact of her extreme IBS
bloating.

A post shared by (@alycecrawford) on Jun 28, 2017 at 3:11am PDT

In the post, Crawford says she hasn’t felt completely well
or healthy in almost three years, and that the intense bloating forced her to
take a break from her modeling work, as she sought advice from health
specialists — including two gastroenterologists and two naturopaths. But
finding no solutions, Crawford continued to experience both physical and mental
complications as a result of her condition, including an inability to even
enjoy food.

“Over time, I developed food anxiety,” she writes. “Eating
became a fear of mine because it seemed no matter what I was eating or drinking
(even water and tea were making me sick).”

“FODMAP” stands for fermentable oligo-, di-, monosaccharides,
and polyols — scientific terms for a group of carbs that are commonly linked to
digestive symptoms like bloating, gas, and stomach pain.

Several studies show that cutting out FODMAP foods can
alleviate IBS symptoms. That means steering clear of yogurt, soft cheeses,
wheat, legumes, onions, honey, and a wide array
of fruits and vegetables.

Crawford is the first to admit that following a restrictive
diet hasn’t come easy: “I will not lie, it can be hard to follow as there is a
lot of food that you need to avoid (garlic, onion, avocado, cauliflower, honey
just to name a few).”

And, sometimes, she allows herself to indulge in a favorite
food that might trigger her symptoms — like a recent taste of guacamole, which
brought on immediate bloating.

A post shared by (@alycecrawford) on Jan 17, 2018 at 2:20am PST

But Crawford is determined to put her health first, writing:
“At the end of the day, feeling well and healthy always makes me happiest, so
80-90 percent of the time I choose my health and happiness over a burger!”

So, with the help of her specialist — and plenty of determination
to get her health back — she’s taking control of her diet and her IBS.

“I was not fine with living the way I was and feeling sick
every single day, so I chose to do something about it,” she writes.

Crawford is encouraging others who live with digestive
symptoms to do the same, even if means short-term sacrifices, like missing a
few dinner parties or rethinking your nights out.

“Yes, missing out at times was hard BUT healing my stomach
was so important to me,” she writes. “I knew the longer I did the right thing
for my health, the faster my stomach would heal and I would therefore be able
to enjoy in the long run.”

And the changes she’s put in place are clearly working, as
evidenced by her active Instagram feed, filled with snaps of the model enjoying
the beach, the gym, and her friends — bloat-free. Taking control of her diet
and making the sacrifices she needed to, have allowed Crawford to own her IBS
and live her best life.

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Your privacy is important to us. Any information you provide to us via this website may be placed by us on servers located in countries outside of the EU. If you do not agree to such placement, do not provide the information.